Maybe the rest of the world doesn’t struggle like I do to meet my protein goals everyday. It’s especially hard in the morning when I really just want some coffee and a bagel, or croissant, or pancakes, or any other delicious carb-loaded item. Yum! But I’ve found that if I start my day sugary, I’m much more likely to continue that trend throughout the rest of the day. So over the years I’ve discovered some ways to sneak a little extra protein into my mornings. The easiest way is by putting some collagen powder in my coffee. But, in general, I prefer to get my nutrients from actual food, so I don’t want to “boost” like this more than once per day and that also includes protein bars and shakes!
One of my favorite protein rich breakfast hacks is to add an egg or two into my oatmeal, cream of wheat or grits as well as using Fairlife 2% milk instead of water. The Fairlife is higher in protein, lower in sugar and lactose free, which is important to me. And this hack tastes amazing, too! Makes the hot cereal so creamy and rich, you’ll never go back to your old water ways.
This morning, it was grits. I was feeling savory so it was cheese grits with a sausage patty crumbled on top.
Here’s how it went:
Fry up a frozen sausage patty in a skillet. While this is cooking, bring about 1 cup of Fairlife milk and an egg to a low boil in a pan, whisking the whole time. Stir in about 1/3 cup of Old Fashioned Grits and stir for 10-12 minutes. Add in a pat of butter then pour into a bowl. Top it with the crumbled sausage patty, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a dollop of creamed cottage cheese. Add some salt and enjoy. This is quite a few calories if you do it this way –about 650. But it’s almost 40 grams of protein. For my own personal eating plan I don’t watch calories or fat as much as I watch protein and carbs, specifically sugar. If you want to keep the fat and calories down, leave out the butter, use turkey sausage, skim milk, egg white and/or low fat shredded cheese.
As always, make the recipe into what you like and need for your own nutrition.
This add-an-egg method is equally great in oatmeal with some peanut butter, or nuts and also in cream of wheat with fruit and honey, grits with sausage and maple syrup. Tons of variations to suit your personal taste.
Hope you enjoy this added protein method.
Let me know in the comments what fabulous combinations you discover.
